Spiritual Leader Denied US Entry-INS ALERT

[Guest guest]

Spiritual Leader Denied US Entry

Written by Rev. T.C. Sinhaputri

Pastor, Mother Kali?s Temple

Pasadena, Texas

Despite meticulous compliance with concurring

instructions given by three specialty law firms, the

official INS website, and the US Embassy, a Priestess

visiting Mother Kali?s Temple in Pasadena, Texas, was

denied entry through the Bush International Airport on

Monday, December the tenth, 2002. Rev. Venya G.C.

Sinhaputri, a Singaporean national, was detained at

the Port of Entry after returning to her homeland to

attend a special Siva Abhishekam performed at her home

Temple, Sri ViraKaliamman Koyil. While at home, the

young leader conferred with other Clergy and enjoyed a

visit with family and friends. Her trip outside of

the U.S. also satisfied requirements of the Visa

Waiver Pilot Program, as Singapore is an Agreement

nation.

Rev. Sinhaputri came to the U.S. at the request of

the Board of Mother Kali?s Temple to offer advice

concerning the implementation of traditional South

Indian worship practices and to facilitate the

establishment of service-oriented programs. The

fledgling Temple benefited greatly from her input, and

has hopes of engaging her formally at a future date.

During her short stay in the Houston area, the

Priestess received a commendation from the Texas

Narcotics Officers Association for her participation

in their ?Keep Kids Off Drugs? program. She

implemented the Temple?s hospital visitation program

and had begun dialog with the Veteran?s Administration

concerning a volunteer chaplaincy aimed at ministering

to the spiritual needs of service men and women

practicing Eastern and less-represented faiths. She

spearheaded the MKT Sari Project, in which saris

blessed in Hindu worship services are collected and

subsequently distributed to sick children, the

elderly, and the abused, going so far as to have

already secured an ongoing donation commitment from

several established Singaporean temples. She has

reached out to leaders of other religious traditions,

encouraging the exchange of information and support

for the preservation of practices and structure in

African and Earth-Based faiths. Her efforts have also

guided the Temple into a donation partnership with

Interfaith Caring Ministries of Clear Lake. Currently

in Singapore, she continues to provide scripture

translation services for the nonTamil-speaking

majority of the Temple?s current membership.

Her detention and rejection of readmission to the

U.S. shocked Temple authorities and well-wishers

alike. The young Amma recounted her ordeal via

telephone as she was able during the actual event: ?As

a Singaporean, I am completely comfortable with

high-security policies at any country?s borders. Our

own proximity to nations potentially sympathetic to

radical causes has given me a lifelong appreciation of

the necessity for strictness in these matters. I

cannot, however, understand the wholesale application

of suspicion projected upon the natives of countries

long in trusted partnership with the United States.?

The details of her treatment by U.S. Immigration

officers are distressing to informed U.S. citizens,

already uneasy about the true efficacy of

newly-implemented security measures.

?When I asked the officer why I was allowed in this

September, he admitted that I ?just must have slipped

past them.? I was repeatedly reminded that I had no

rights to an attorney. They were suspicious about my

recent name change which honors my grandmother and my

family SatGuru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, and is

clearly noted as an amendment in my passport. They

were also very keen on details of my trips to

Malaysia, which is in walking distance of my island

nation?s northern shore. I visit Hindu temples to

KaliMa there and other Deities as well. The town of

Johor Bahru is very much like your Nuevo Laredo is for

a Texan?the value of our currency doubles and I often

accompany my mother on shopping trips there.

?I was finally allowed phone contact with the Temple?s

pastor (a U.S. native) who had been physically

prevented from accompanying me at the interview. Sent

downstairs to Customs, she had called at 15 minute

intervals for status updates. After three hours of

suspense, I delivered the heavy news of their decision

to ?book? me and send me back to Singapore. She was

forced by authorities to leave my luggage and prayer

books on the floor for someone to later pick up. After

some time, an officer came to distribute dinner which

consisted of a ham sandwich and a juice box. As a

lifelong Hindu, I observe strict vegetarianism. I had

8 ounces of juice for my meal, as did any other

detainees who were Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Taoist,

Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, or Seventh Day Adventist. I was

held in airport detention from 1PM until 11PM.

?All of the detainees were then transported to a

Houston jail facility. The mode was a prison bus with

grating over the windows. When we arrived, we were

put in a holding area which was extremely cold. Our

passports, personal effects, and jackets had been

taken from us, and many people begged the officers to

turn off the air conditioning because of the

uncomfortable conditions, all to no avail. The

holding facility was small and very cramped because of

the number of persons there. There was barely room

enough to sit on the dirty floor, so I and most of the

others remained standing.

?We were eventually moved to smaller cells. My

cellmate was a Hispanic Canadian girl who was very

frightened. I did my best to console her, holding her

hands and assuring her that the Great Mother was

protecting us and the ordeal would be over soon. The

officer we could overhear seemed agitated that the

next transport was more than an hour late, showing

concern that the detainees would be kept awake all

night long due to processing and travel.

?We were put in handcuffs and connected leg irons to

board the next prison bus, and were taken from Houston

to Beaumont for final booking. None of the detainees

were violent or resistant, yet it was standard

practice to confine us in this humiliating way. I was

able to see some neighborhood Christmas lights through

the window grating and was thankful for this cheerful

sight in such a discouraging situation. Upon arrival,

my paperwork in the Beaumont facility had me

documented as ?Hispanic Male?. I asked the officer

why and she said, ?Well, most people sent through here

are, so we usually just put that down.? She corrected

my form to describe me as ?Other Female?.

?During booking, we were put in cells with bare metal

benches to sleep on. We were processed from 2AM to

4AM, so there was no opportunity to sleep anyway. We

had to be sent immediately back to Houston in order to

make our flight times. We were bound again, put back

on a bus, and taken to the airport. I arrived there

forty minutes before my flight departed and was

escorted by an armed officer onto my plane. My

belongings had been checked through by authorities and

my passport was returned to me only 20 minutes prior

to landing in Tokyo to catch my connecting flight.?

Despite her harrowing experience, Rev. Sinhaputri

remains optimistic. INS officials stated that she

would be allowed back into the U.S. when she obtained

a more permanent approved Visa, and Temple authorities

have complete faith that this will be secured for her.

Amma states, ?The peaceful nations of the world ache

for the tragedy the United States has borne. We

believe Right will triumph through the gentle forces

of prayer, service, and diligence. Although Singapore

will always be my home, I love the United States very

much. The hearts of the people are caring, and I have

many dear friends there. The Mother will accomplish

Her Work of peace and balance in the West, my

inconvenience notwithstanding.?

________

 

For more information on Mother Kali?s Temple, please

visit www.motherkali.org or write to

pastor. All love offerings to defray

costs of legal, communication, and transportation

expenses are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by

law. MKT is a registered, incorporated congregation

of the Universal Life Church with 501©(3) status

currently applied for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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